Proper outdoor lighting can provide numerous benefits. For example, outdoor lighting can often improve safety by illuminating potential hazards so that people can prepare for and deal with them. Similarly, outdoor lighting can often enhance security in that people are less likely to engage in illicit conduct if they think that they might be seen. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, outdoor lighting can create a pleasing, decorative effect by highlighting the character of structures and landscapes.
Outdoor lighting assemblies come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Examples include upright lamps, floodlights, tier lights, well lights, and surface-mount lights. Moreover, outdoor lighting assemblies can be powered via high-voltage energy sources, low-power energy sources, or solar power. Outdoor lighting assemblies can be used to illuminate home architecture, decks, walkways, driveways, gardens, ponds, swimming pools, and other structures or landscapes.
In some environments, outdoor lighting assemblies can be damaged by ordinary outdoor activities. For example, people sometimes bump outdoor lighting assemblies with their lawnmowers, thereby bending or breaking the outdoor lighting assemblies. Likewise, children may damage outdoor lighting assemblies while playing outdoors. Other outdoor activities that can damage outdoor lighting assemblies involve garden hoses, ladders, landscapers, and pets. Damaging outdoor lighting assemblies becomes an even bigger issue given the fact that many outdoor lighting assemblies are designed to be relatively inconspicuous in the daylight.